It is most unfortunate that while most women in India find no good reason to visit a gynaecologist, there is a large number of the female population that even in this day and age, have no access to a gynaecologist in the first place.

Majority of Indian women never screened for cervical cancer&nbsp

It is most unfortunate that while most women in India find no good reason to visit a gynaecologist, there is a large number of the female population that even in this day and age, have no access to a gynaecologist in the first place.

What is central to the problem is that the possibility of catching a sexually transmitted disease or cervical cancer is not a factor that nudges a majority of the women in our country to visit a gynaecologist for timely screenings.

According to the National Health and Family Survey-4 (NHFS-4), only 40 per cent of women residing in urban areas and 50 per cent of the women in rural India, in the age groups between 15 and 49, had their cervix screened at least once in their lifetime.

What is even more shocking is that while 17% of women in rural India underwent screening for cervical cancer once in their lifetime, the number was astonishingly low at 13.7 per cent in urban pockets of the country.

As the dismal statistics revealed by the NHFS-4 paint a worrisome picture, statistics released by the department of health and family welfare point out that cervical cancer accounts for nearly 26 per cent of female cancer patients in India.

Out of all the states in South-India, Karnataka, according to data collected by several agencies, has the least number of women who have their cervix screened even once.

Other states, however, fare better than Karnataka. In Kerala, 61.7% in urban and 61% in rural areas had undergone the screening. In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana regions, over 30% were reportedly screened in both urban and rural areas. In Tamil Nadu, 21.7% in urban and 24.4% in rural areas were screened.

Over 3,000 women in India were tested for High-Risk HPV (Human Papillomavirus) infection between 2013 and 2017, revealed a nation-wide study conducted by SRL Diagnostics. The study also showed that the highest percentage of positive cases of high-risk HPV was found in the 16-30 age groups.

Activists associated with a Delhi-based group credit the taboo associated with a visit to the gynaecologist in India as the reason why more and more families do not advise females to visit a gynaecologist until and unless she is expecting conception.

26% of female cancer patients in India are diagnosed with cervical cancer, reveals reportDescription:It is most unfortunate that while most women in India find no good reason to visit a gynaecologist, there is a large number of the female population that even in this day and age, have no access to a gynaecologist in the first place.Times Now